Lions hold off second-half Stormers comeback to secure URC win

The Lions held off a spirited fightback from Stormers to secure a 30-23 win in round 11 of the United Rugby Championship at Emirates Airline Park.

The hosts enjoyed an 18-point lead at half-time after tries from Morne van den Berg, Henco van Wyk, and Marius Louw, the first two coming with Warrick Gelant in the sin-bin for deliberately slowing the ball down after making a try-saving tackle.

Gelant made partial amends with a superb individual score early in the second half and Evan Roos also crossed after Richard Kriel was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.

Lions captain Francke Horn on his team’s top 4 hopes

Lions captain Francke Horn on his team’s top 4 hopes

However, the Lions defence held firm under concerted pressure before Jurie Matthee’s penalty secured a losing bonus point.